AP GOV congress

Republicanism

Will of the people reflected by their representatives (state vs. the

people)

House Rules Committee:

committee that

determines when a bill will be subject to

debate and vote, how long the debate

will last, and if amendments will be

allowed on the floor

Committee of the Whole:

Consists of all members of the House but governed by different rules making it easier to consider legislation

caucus

Determine ideologies, assign leadership roles, committee positions

bipartisanship

Agreement between parties to work together in Congress

gridlock

Slowdown or halt in Congress’s ability to legislate

Lame Duck Period:

Period at end of a presidential term when a presidentis not returning to office

Speaker of the House:

The leader of the House of Representatives

House Majority Leader:

Second in command of the House

Senate Majority Leader:

Head of the party, holds the most power in the Senate

Minority Leader:

Head of party with second-highest number of seats

Whip:

Member of Congress chosen to ensure party unity and discipline

Mandatory Spending:

Spending required by existing laws that is locked into the budget

Entitlement Programs:

Programs that provide benefits for those who qualify under law regardless of income

Discretionary Spending:

Spending for programs and policies at the discretion of Congress and the president

Budget Surplus:

Government takes in more money than it spends

Budget Deficit:

Government spends more than it takes in

Deficit Spending

seems to be the style of budgeting for foreseeable future

Pork Barrel Spending:

Laws that direct specific funds to projects within districts or states

Logrolling:

Trading votes on legislation to get their earmarks passed into legislation

Omnibus Bill:

A single law that combines a number of different topics or bills into one document

Incumbent:

Someone who is already in office instead of running for office for the first time

Redistricting:

process of adjusting districts to account

for new population information

Compactness:

minimum distance between all constituents

Contiguity:

all people are connected

Delegate Role:

Idea that the main duty of a member of Congress is to carry out constituents wishes

Trustee Role:

The idea that members of Congress should make decisions based on their knowledge and judgment

Politico Role:

Members of Congress balance their choices with the interests of their constituents and parties

Baker v Carr/One Person One Vote

To comply with the Equal Protection Clause and the 14th amendment , the Court ruled, a plan must embody the principle “one person, one vote

Shaw v Reno/No Racial Gerrymandering

claims of racial redistricting must be held to a standard of strict scrutiny, meaning that any law that results in classification by race must have a compelling government interest, be narrowly tailored to meet that goal, and be the least restrictive means for achieving that interest.

Gerrymandering

the practice of drawing the boundaries of electoral districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage over its rivals or that dilutes the voting power of members of ethnic or linguistic minority groups

Pork Barrel Legislation

ational government politicians spending huge amounts of money in their local voting districts to encourage voters to re-elect them at the next election.

implied powers

applies to those powers exercised by Congress that are not expressly granted to it by the Constitution but are deemed “necessary and proper” to execute those constitutionally granted powers effectively.

filibuster

a loosely defined term for action designed to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment, or other debatable question

unanimous consent agreement

Agreement on any question or matter before the Senate that sets aside a rule of procedure to expedite proceedings.

party leadership

one party leader serves as majority leader and the other as minority leader. Both party leaders, also called floor leaders, serve as the spokesperson for their party's positions on the issues and coordinate their respective legislative strategies

Discharge Petition

bringing a bill out of committee and to the floor for consideration without a report from the committee by "discharging" the committee from further consideration of a bill or resolution.